by admin | Sep 8, 2023 | Gone With the Wind
The summer of 1939 consumed David O. Selznick with work and worry. The producer, his film editor Hal Kern and associate film editor James Newcom spent July and August screening the existing film footage, selecting takes of scenes and assembling a rough cut of the film...
by admin | Jun 26, 2023 | Gone With the Wind
On Thursday, January 26, 1939, George Cukor called “Action,” and Gone With the Wind’s principal photography began. Vivien Leigh in her green sprig silk muslin dress warned the Tarleton boys that one more mention of war would send her right into the house. But when the...
by admin | Jun 8, 2023 | Gone With the Wind
In the novel, a tearful Scarlett wails, “If you go, where shall I go, what shall I do?” And Rhett exits with the memorable words: “My dear, I don’t give a damn.” At the outset, Selznick knew he would have problems with that darn word “damn.” The Motion Picture...
by admin | May 24, 2023 | Gone With the Wind
On Wednesday, May 24, 1939, Victor Fleming directed Vivien Leigh and Leslie Howard in the pivotal paddock scene also known as the “Orchard Love Scene.” To recap: Needing $300 to pay the taxes on Tara, Scarlett seeks advice from Ashley, whom she finds splitting rails...
by admin | May 5, 2023 | Gone With the Wind
On Saturday, May 6, 1939, Sam Wood directed Vivien Leigh in “Scarlett’s Return to Tara.” Realizing that her mother is dead, Scarlett screams her shock and grief and collapses at Ellen O’Hara’s bier. A parallel to this heartbreaking scene...
by admin | Apr 28, 2023 | Gone With the Wind
In April 1939, producer David O. Selznick recognized that the grueling pace of filming Gone With the Wind was taking a toll on his cast and crew, especially director Victor Fleming. On April 14, Selznick confided in a memo to executive staff that Fleming “is so...
by admin | Apr 3, 2023 | Gone With the Wind
Clark Gable had finally had it with the Gone With the Wind wardrobe made for him by the Selznick International costume department. The shirt collars choked him, and the suits and cravats were ill fitting. He complained to producer Selznick, who, in turn, spoke to...
by admin | Mar 13, 2023 | Gone With the Wind
On March 13, 1939, David O. Selznick wrote a memo to Production Manager Raymond A. Klune concerning the dramatic use of color in Gone With the Wind’s costumes. The producer impressed upon Klune that the costumes should symbolize “the changing...
by admin | Mar 3, 2023 | Gone With the Wind
This year marks the 81st anniversary of Casablanca, my #2 all-time-favorite film. This 1942 Humphrey Bogart-Ingrid Bergman classic appears on many lists of the greatest films of all time, as does my #1 all-time-favorite film, 1939s Gone With the Wind. Over the years,...
by admin | Feb 25, 2023 | Gone With the Wind
To replace George Cukor, Selznick approached Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) contract director Victor Fleming. Fleming was not interested in taking over the directorial reins of the troubled Gone With the Wind. At the time, he was manic with Munchkins on the set of The...
